Run for Love

One of my favorite new songs is attached below, “When Love Broke Thru.” I think I like it so much because it reminds me that if I can act out of love, many things can be overcome. But if acting out of ignorance, anger, or misunderstanding, many times, those situations only get worse.

Something I love so much about running is that it strips us down to our most simple desires. I’ve often found myself running with others whom I’d rarely call to hang out with. However, finding persons to run with at a certain pace for ridiculous distances on cold, dark mornings isn’t the easiest task to accomplish. Therefore, I’ve had many runs in many different states across the US, over many years, with persons whom I may not be in accordance with concerning political or religious views, their so-called way-of-life, or even their views on morality. But over and over again I’ve found that running miles of trials with another human being helps us find common ground in a way that few other things can.

Running isn’t easy. You don’t take time to run, you make time to run. That means earlier out of bed or later to bed. It’s a grind. That sick feeling you get when you wake up early in the dead of winter in the dark… Simple desires. Run alone or run with someone who helps you feel supported in your endeavors as you support theirs? Run alone or together?

Psychology Today says, “Love is a desire, not emotional need.” Finding ourselves in the midst of all kinds of different persons willing to help us strive for our desire to be better, get stronger, hang on a little farther is breathtaking. It’s unreal when everyone is happy to see you happy. That’s how runners are.

Adding love to that desire could be life-changing, not just for us, but for all of those around us. You see, if we’re willing to love across views and opinions because we’ve learned to desire good for those we run with, then we can learn to use love to desire good for others we don’t run with. Running is my stress relief, my compass, my reset, and my life’s desire. Not because I ultimately desire to be faster, but because I ultimately desire to be better. Better for my wife, my kids, my community, and my running mates. Love on you all,